Over:Clock
by OverMach
Summary: Gamindustri faces a new threat - a plague that once endangered its inhabitants. A bystander unwillingly gets roped into this mess that will decide the fate of both his own world and Gamindustri.
1. Obligatory boring exposition prologue

You, a young man, stand in your bedroom.

It just so happens that today, the 7th of May, is this young man's birthday.

Though it was many, many years ago you were given life, it is only today that you will be given a name!

So, what will the name of this young man be?

 **ZOOSMELL POOPLORD.**

No.

 **IWANTTODIE**

I mean, same, but no.

 **AKAGI TOMARI.**

Your name is **AKA-**

...

Okay screw this.

An online friend said it would be funny if I monologued or narrated myself in a mix of second and third person view on my birthday.

But it's harder than I thought, so to hell with it.

Anyways...

My name is Akagi Tomari.

I grew up in this country called Japan when I was little. But my parents' job forced me and my family to move to some other country.

Now I'm back in Japan again. I'm still trying to get used to it, but hey, at least it's a familiar place.

I examine my room, even though I should know it really well already.

A metal shelf stands in the corner, proudly displaying my small collection of expensive imported plastic in the form of action figures, shaped like my favorite Cyborg Bugmen.

...You know, that show that airs every Sunday morning about a motorcycle-riding cyborg superhero with a bug motif protecting the world from evil and fighting for justice. Though lately they seem to be straying away from the whole "bug motif" thing. Like seriously, a fruit samurai?

...Enough about that.

Aaaanyway, to the left of the shelf, in front of me, is my PC, which I waste 90% of my time on.

Behind me is a decently-sized bed, with a bookcase and a small desk next to it.

Posters of Asian animated cartoons and video games line up the walls around me.

Oh, I also have this weird habit of recalling my childhood and describing my room in extensive detail on my birthdays.

I guess that says something about my interests.

I look at my reflection on the monitor screen. My black hair is kinda messy, just like usual. My black eyes are visible through my glasses, looking sleepy.

As you can tell from my eyewear, I have really, really bad vision.

But enough about introductions, I guess.

As I previously stated before, today is my birthday.

Normally I don't get excited for things like this, but a friend said he's gonna send a game my way today.

Maybe it'll be the newly-released PC port of "Joey Jojo's Wacky Trip: Heavenly Vision"?!

...Never mind, that probably wouldn't happen.

I sit on the chair in front of me, before booting up my PC.

The screen turns on, showing me my familiar homepage after a few seconds.

I double click on a program icon labeled "BotherBuddy."

It's some sort of chat client that I use to, well, chat with my buddies.

Heh, puns.

I minimize the window while it's still connecting. My friends are probably off anyway. Goddamn timezones, ruining my relationships with people on the other side of the world.

Oh well.

Maybe I should actually make some progress in one of my games.

I open Smog, the digital distribution platform owned by the Pipe Company.

...Oh, what's this?

There's a notification.

"1 New Gift"

Oh boy, it's here!

I try to contain my excitement, but promptly fail to do so. I click the gift icon nonetheless, and...

And absolutely nothing happened.

...

A few seconds have passed.

I move my mouse, but the cursor won't even budge.

Goddammit, it's doing this freezing shit again.

I sigh loudly, while standing up.

I guess I'll go grab something to eat, and by the time I come back it will go back to normal. Probably. I hope.

I leave the room and go downstairs, heading for the kitchen.

I approach the fridge, grabbing the handle and opening it. I am greeted by the sight of fresh vegetables and raw meat.

...I'm not in the mood to cook yet. I'll do it later.

I just pour myself a glass of cold milk, before heading back to my room with the glass in hand, taking a few sips along the way.

What the hell kind of person drinks milk like this, I wonder.

Oh well, whatever. I'm done thinking about it. I still have that game I can look forward to!

I step inside my room, and the whole room suddenly goes dark.

Goddammit.

The electricity went out.

My birthday is off to a good start. What a great day.

I continue drinking my glass of mi- Wait a minute. There's light.

Coming from my...

My computer?

No way, it shouldn't even be able stay on without electricity. I mean, it's not a freaking laptop, you know? Or... Or maybe it's just the lights in my room that broke.

...

I walk forward, to check on my PC.

...

The screen is flickering on and off, occasionally changing to random colors. What the hell?

I hold the power button on the CPU, intending to force it to shut down.

But nothing happens.

I don't even know what's going on anymore.

This is like in those crappy horror movies, or bad video games creepypastas, where the electronics would somehow still work even when it's not supposed t-

My speakers start to buzz for a few seconds.

"Er... Test? Is this thing on?"

The buzzing stops as I hear a female voice, coming from the speakers themselves.

Sounds like a girl around my age, if not a year or two olde-

W-w-wait, what?! Holy shit, what?!

This is...

"Ah, darn, I connected too late. You returned to your room already..."

The voice muttered to herself.

Who, what, why, how?

That is the question.

"Well, it won't be as surprising now, but... Eh, never mind. Let's see..."

What the hell is she even going on about?

Damn it, this is creepy, I need to turn these off somehow...

"Your name is Akagi Tomari..."

...What?

"Born on the 7th of May... Oh, today's your birthday! Happy birthday, I guess!"

Ah, that must be it!

A birthday prank!

A _really_ well-done one, too!

Man, I'm so relieved.

"...Sorry to burst your bubble, but this isn't a prank."

Haha, what?

"Okay, come on, it's time to stop... Whereever you are, come out now, haha..." I nervously laughed.

This is getting creepy.

"Let me ask you something, Akagi..." The mysterious voice started speaking. "Are you afraid of heights?"

What the hell kind of question is that?

Where did that even come from?

...

It's funny, because I actually _am_ scared of heights.

"You're being awfully silent." The voice spoke. "I'm gonna take that as a yes, in which case..."

Huh?

"Sorry."

What?

My monitor suddenly shines an incredibly bright light, forcing me to close my eyes.

The second I close my eyes, it suddenly feels like the floor below me disappeared, and I'm falling.

Wait, what.

I open my eyes.

The blue sky greets me.

W-w-w-wait a minute, blue sky?!

I really am falling, no way-!

I flail around, screaming. I look down below me, seeing, well, land.

It seems like I'm pretty high up.

Goddammit, just because I'm scared of heights doesn't mean you have to do this kind of birthday prank to me!

Or maybe it's just a dream...? It... feels too realistic to be a prank. Too elaborate, you know?!

"Well, unfortunately for you but fortunately for me, this is neither of those."

The same voice spoke once again, but I don't know from where.

"Down here~!"

I look down.

I'm suddenly wearing a... belt? I have no idea where this came from. It's mostly black, and the buckle is rather bulky when compared to normal ones. I can't really take a good look since I'm apparently falling to my death right now.

"Yeah, that's me! And don't worry, Akagi... Tomari, was it? Just calm down, the falling will only last for a short while!"

...This bastard is basically telling me that I will die soon, goddammit!

"Hey, that's not nice, you know!"

Whatever is happening right now is not nice eith-

Wait, did... did the voice just read my thoughts?

"Oh look, it's time! You can stop whining now."

And by time I assume she means it's time for me to hit the ground and fucking die-

...

My body suddenly glows and I float to the ground slowly and safely.

...

I have no idea what the hell just happened...

I lie myself down on the ground, trying to recover and think.

This is one messed up birthday prank...

"I told you already, this isn't a prank."

The voice spoke to my mind again.

"Do you want me to explain to you what just happened, or do you need time to think to yourself for a few more moments?"

Stop that already.

...I unconciously said that. Mentally, of course.

"Very well, then."

So the voice really can read my mind.

I have no idea how that's possible, but...

...There's no point in just laying around here, I guess.

I get up, looking around me. I seem to be in a forest or something. There are some trees, but it's not that thick of a forest.

I'm standing on what I think is unpaved dirt road, so at least I can follow this and not get lost in the woods.

"Wow, you sure made up your mind fast!" The voice told me. "You see that road in front of you, right? Follow it, if you will."

Huh.

Fine, then.

I have no idea where I am, but...

I might as well play along with this "prank", for now, I guess.

"How many times have I told you? It's _not_ a prank, like, come on."

 _Stop reading my mind, will you? Just get this prank over with._

"You're a stubborn one, aren't you? Fine, have it your way... I mean, you'll find out the truth sooner or later, anyway."

 _Yeah, I get that a lot, thanks._

I continue walking down the path, like she told me to.

"Well, I suppose it's time for explanations, yeah?"

Sure.

"I'm not that good at explaining things, so I'll just give you the brief details. We have arrived in Gamindustri, a world made up of 4 nations, each led by their own Console Patron Units, shortened to CPUs-"

W-w-wait, slow down.

CPUs?

Gamindustri? As in, game industry?

I chuckle audibly.

Am I losing my mind or something? Is this a hallucination formed by my mind, and fueled by memes?

"Shush! It's rude to interrupt someone when they're talking, you know? Anyway... Long before we came here, the CPUs used to fight each other endlessly. This was dubbed the Console War by-"

Console War.

 _Console War._

I feel like someone dumped an entire script of a JRPG with a meta storyline to my head.

"The Console War is a thing of the past now, and since then, the CPUs have worked together to overcome various problems!" The voice stated cheerfully.

Cool story, sis.

" _Except_ there's a new threat..."

Oh no, how incovenient.

"Cut off the sarcasm, man. Anyway, there's this... Some sort of virus that infect only humans-"

What, you want me to play doctor?

A holographic picture of the virus appears in front of me, projected from the belt. This is some high-tech stuff.

"No, let me finish. The infected humans show no symptoms at first, but over time the virus will grow and overtake their host body, turning them to... monsters."

That... sounds kinda creepy. As if something from a horror game.

Another holographic picture pop ups. This time it's a... round, blue slime-y thing...? With a dog's face on it, to boot? It seems to be kinda glowing purple-ish, too.

What the hell is this supposed to be?

"That's one of many kinds of monsters they can turn into, by the way."

Thank god, it's not as creepy as I expected.

It still seems ridiculous though.

"You'll believe it when you see it, trust me. Moving on... Those fully-grown viruses, henceafter I refer as monsters, have the power to warp to another world – your world, to be more specific – and can, or _will,_ possibly wreak havoc there." The voice explained.

 _...So those monsters will appear in, er, the world where I came from after they mature?_

"Yeah, pretty much. I have no idea why they do this, but each time it happens, the walls between the two worlds will get thinner, and if it's completely destroyed..."

This is kinda cliche, but I feel like I know the answer to this.

 _Your next line is "The two worlds will clash and destroy each other", that's the one._

"The two worlds will clash and destroy each othe- Huh?"

Hey, I did it!

"... I have no idea how you did that, but, alright."

 _So what do I have to do with all of this information?_

"Basically, Akagi..."

I stop walking, admiring the view in front of me.

"...I need your help to stop them."

The road in front of me leads to a... big city, I think? That's probably not the proper term, but... There are a lot of houses, all of them looking kinda old-fashioned. On top of a hill, in the distance, is a large castle. Not to mention all kinds of green plants adorning each corner.

It's like a kingdom filled with nature, I guess. Really gives me a medieval feeling.

"Oh, and welcome to Leanbox, The Land of Green Pastures."

* * *

 **A/N: If you're reading this, I assume you have read everything above this, in which case I say thanks!**

 **To those of you who have read the original** _ **Overclock**_ **before – Yes, this is the reboot that I talked about like a month ago. Surprised it didn't take half a year, eh? And yes, this one will have more references to things I like, so make sure to spot em!**

 **To those of you who have no idea what I just talked about, this fic is a reboot of an older fic of mine. The fic in question is horrible, and full of half-assed writing, so I suggest you don't read it and just stick with this.**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this! Leave a review, and have a nice wheeeeeeee~!**

* * *

 **Next time, on Overclock:**

"There! That's the victim over there, Akagi!"

"God damn it, you can't just force me to fight like this..."

"Henshin!"

"Give me a break..."

(TL Note: Henshin means "Transform"!)


	2. I'm a battle doctor?

I've probably said this over a thousand times, but damn this is one elaborate prank.

I approach a nearby brick wall, before knocking on it lightly with my fingers.

Yeah, it definitely feels real, and not a prop made out of cardboa-

" _I have said this over a thousand times, too – It's not a prank."_

I'm still not entirely convinced.

...Now that I'm here, what the hell am I supposed to do, though?

I start walking forward, following the road in front of me.

The breeze feels cold against my skin.

Damn it, I want to go home already-

A little kid suddenly darts past me, breaking my train of thought. He looked like he was in a hurry. School, maybe? But he didn't have a backpack or whatever on him-

"E-excuse me-!"

Hearing a female voice behind me, I turn around, only to be greeted by something crashing into me and causing me to fall on my butt.

Ow.

I open my eyes, trying to figure out whatever crashed into me. I see a... girl, with long, creamy pink hair and a black headband on her head. She wears a tan-white, wool-styled tanktop... I think? And also detached sleeves, along with a red plaid skirt. From the pose she's making right now, I can see that she's wearing white plain panties.

Oh and hot damn. Those _racks_ , man.

" _Oh you little pervert,you."_

...

Aaaaanyway-

That's a rather, uh, unusual get-up. Is she a cosplayer or something?

"Ouchies... Ah! Are you alright, sir?" The girl looks at me with worried eyes, before clumsily standing up, fumbling a bit. "I'm really sorry... I need to get going!"

She then runs off, leaving me on the ground.

How rude...

Oh wait, what's this?

Something on the ground caught my eye.

I pick it up, observing it closely. It's a… purse? Yeah, a black, round purse, with what I think is the letter "C" on it against a pink background.

She probably dropped it while she was in a hurry earlier. Huh.

I wonder what's inside…

I take a quick glance around, making sure no one is looking at me like I'm some sort of weirdo.

Alright, all clear.

I move my hand, reaching for the zippe-

…

On second thought, never mind. That would be an invasion of privacy.

What the hell am I supposed to do with this, though? Bring it to the police station?

The voice said that this was another world – which I still don't believe – though. Is there even police stations here?

Actually, maybe there's some sort of equivalent to police stations here. If this is *indeed* another world, I mean. Not that I believe her. Nope. The people's weird fashion choices and the old-fashioned architectures are not enough to convince me, no sir.

" _I can't wait until you finally accept the fact that this is, indeed, another world, Aka."_

I hear the voice speak to me.

" _Wait, can I call you that?"_

Yeah I guess, why not.

" _Anyway, since you have the purse now, I guess you don't have any other choice now."_

What, you mean I should just take it for myself?

" _No, dingus, you should return it to her. Didn't your parents teach you to return lost things?"_

Yeah, sounds easy to say.

I don't even know where she went.

" _Just walk on ahead, Akagi. She shouldn't be that far."_

My legs are tired from walking all the way through that forest.

" _Man up."_

Alright, alright, jeez. I'm doing it.

I guess a long walk isn't so bad.

I mean, I stay cooped up inside my room 90% of the time anyway, so this is… a nice change of pace, I guess…?

Exercise or something, hooray.

I stand up, taking a long sigh before starting to walk.

* * *

It's been… Ten minutes of me walking aimlessly, I think.

My right hand is still holding the girl's purse.

I have no idea where she went.

This place is massive, I have never been here before, and she could be practically anywhere.

I know I'm gonna feel bad if I don't return this to her though, so…

Ah, god damn it.

My legs are tired.

I want to go home already. This is the _worst_ prank ever.

" _There's a park nearby, Akagi. Maybe you can rest for a bit there."_

Yeah, sounds like a good idea.

I spot the entrance to the park, and immediately head there.

…

Oh, is that…?!

There it is!

There's no mistaking it!

…

A bench I can sit on-!

Oh wait, never mind. It's already used by other people.

A pink-haired girl, and a little kid….

Wait a goshdarn minute.

That's the girl I've been looking for all this time.

…Okay, "all this time" might be a bit of an exaggeration there, but still.

And that kid…

I think he was the little kid that ran past me earlier, right before the girl bumped me.

Huh. It's all connected. What is this, some sort of convenient plot?

"Well, plot convenience aside, Akagi, I think you should just return the purse to her and get this whole thing over with."

Yeah, the voice's got a point.

Let's do this.

I take a deep breath.

I walk towards the bench, holding up the purse.

"Uh, excuse me…" I say, getting their attention. "You, er, dropped this earlier."

"Ah, my purse!"

I hand the purse to her, and she immediately opens it.

I take a peek inside.

It's… full of medical things. Like bandages. And syringes?

Is she a nurse or something?

"No wonder I couldn't find it on me earlier… Thankies!"

She takes out a small piece of white cloth from the bag, before bending down in front of the little kid to wipe his left knee with it.

Looks like he skinned his knee along the way, huh. Ouch.

She then applies a band-aid on the wound, smiling. "There. All better!" She said, getting up.

What a nice girl.

"Thank you…" The little boy looks up at her. "…I'm sorry."

"It's alright," She pats him on the head, still smiling. "Just don't do it again, okay? The doctors aren't going to hurt you, you know. They want to help you."

The boy nods, smiling faintly.

The girl suddenly turns and walks over to me, catching me off guard.

"Sorry for being a bother… I really should be more careful next time." She apologized, huh. "My name is Compa, what's yours?"

Compa? That's… an odd name.

"It's… Akagi Tomari. Nice to meet you, I guess." I introduce myself. "That kid… Is he your brother or something?"

"No, he's actually a patient that I have to look after." Compa answered. "He got scared and ran away from the doctor, so I had to chase him all the way here."

"Ah… So I guess you're a nurse?" I mean, it's kinda obvious.

"Yessy~ That's right." Compa confirms it. Yeah I guess that explains all the… things in her purse.

" _Akagi… I'm detecting something."_

Come on, what is it this time?

" _I'm getting readings of the virus nearby, but…"_

Really no-

" _Oh god damn it. Aka, you should probably step away for a bit."_

And why is that?

" _You see the boy sitting on the bench?"_

Compa's patient? Yeah, why?

"Yeah, there! That's the _victim_ over there, Akagi!"

…

Wait, whaaaaat?!

…

The boy suddenly collapses to the ground, grunting in pain while holding his head.

Compa suddenly turns around and runs to the bo-

"Get her away from there, it's gonna burst!"

What is?!

Ah, dammit!

I grab Compa's arm, preventing her from getting close to him.

"What are you-"

The little boy is suddenly covered by a dark light, before sending forth an energy wave that knocks me and Compa back.

Ouch.

My butt hurts. That wasn't a smooth landing…

I get up, looking at the direction where the boy was. In his place is a giant… wolf? It resembles a big, black wolf, with bright red eyes and a massive set of claws.

" _A Fenrir, huh."_

What the hell.

What the hell?!

" _Akagi, you're the only one who can stop this now!"_

Me?! You want me to stop… that?!

" _I will help you! We will work and fight together! All I need is your confirmation, Akagi… Are you willing to do this?"_

The monster looks up at the sky, and lets out a howl.

I start to crawl back in fear. M-Maybe I can run away before it notices me-

" _You're gonna die if you don't fight, you know?"_

…

" _Not just you. The kid that was infected? He's going to disappear if no one stops it now."_

…

" _That girl, Compa, was it? Probably dead too if no one is going to do anything."_

Compa is lying on the ground not far from me, unconscious after the wave knocked us back.

" _So, are you going to fight or let everyone – including you, of course – die here?"_

…

Damn it.

" _Oh, a-"_

Okay, okay, I fucking get it. You can stop guilt tripping me now.

Goddammit, you can't just force me to fight like this…

If I don't fight, I will die. Everyone else, too.

I can't just…

I can't just let that happen.

I don't want to die here. Not in this elaborate hell of a birthday prank.

" _So, you're gonna fight?"_

Hell yeah I am.

Not like I have any other choice.

" _Very well then. Contract formed."_

…Contract? What is this, a magical girl sh-

" _You see that belt you're currently wearing, Akagi? Well, you probably guessed it already, but that's me. "_

"Alright, alright. Tell me what to do, you stupid belt…" I stand up, slowly, looking at the monster.

"Well, isn't that a rude way to call someone. Didn't your parents teach you manners?" The belt spoke out loud, replying to me.

Goddammit this is starting to be annoying.

"Fine, _Ms._ Belt, tell me what to do."

"Ms. Belt, hmm? I like it." The belt- No, _Ms._ Belt replied. "You see that red switch button thing, on the top? Press it."

I look down at the belt, seeing a red switch at the top sticking out from the bulky parts.

Without thinking twice, I press it.

 **BUCKLE UP**

The black, bulky part of the belt suddenly flies off, splitting into three smaller things before combining again in the air. It then suddenly flies at me, and attaches itself to my left arm.

W-what the hell?!

It's a… wrist-mounted device thing? It looks like a tiny shield at first glance, but there are buttons on the side. It's shaped like… a black, stylized old console, a bit box-y but more streamlined to fit my arm. On the top is a glowing, blue symbol that looks like a disc.

I look down at the belt, and its shape has changed without the bulky parts. The red switch is actually part of a bigger button that covers most of the belt's top. On the top left – or top right, for me – to the side, is a hole, like a slot, probably used for something. There's a tiny, rectangular screen in the middle, surrounded by two circle buttons on each side. It kind of reminds me of a gamepad, even the shape, though like the device on my arm it's more stylized. To look good or whatever, maybe.

"Okay, I got these two things…" I lift up my arm with the weird device. "Now what?"

"Well, you should be familiar with how this works by now, right?" Ms. Belt just confuses me even more. "On the right side – yes, your right – is a power button. After you've pressed that, just strike a pose, say the magic word, and press the big red one on the top."

Strike a pose?

Say the magic word?!

What is this, a Cyborg Bu-

…

Yeah, I get it now.

This is just like in _those_ TV shows, right?

I press the power button, causing the belt to play some sort of music loop.

I'm gonna do _that._ A certain iconic pose.

I make a fist with my left hand, putting it on my left hip. "Hen…" I move my right hand to the upper left, slowly moving it to the upper right, at which point I move my right hand to my right hip and my left one quickly to the right. "…shin!"

With both hands, I press the top button.

A bright light covers my body, and at the same time an energy ring comes out from the belt. Armor-like pieces materialize in the air around me. The light covering me vanishes, and I suddenly feel like I'm in a different body. The armor pieces then attach themselves to me, as the energy rings disappear.

I look at myself.

What the hell…

What the hell is this weird, bodysuit thing?! I mean… At least I have some armor on my chest to protect my vital organs, but who the hell fights in this thing?!

I look at my hands, and to my surprise, they seem to be covered in dark-colored robotic gloves. Okay, robotic might not be a good way to describe them, but they're kinda like… pseudo-futuristic armor, if that's even a word. There are some lines on the gloves, except they're colorless.

Oh yeah, my bodysuit thing has those lines too, but bigger. And also they're colored green for some reason.

"Should you really be admiring yourself right now? You have a monster to fight…" Ms. Belt reminds me.

Ah, right, right. The monster.

"I'm uploading the HUD data to your glasses… Alright, it's done."

Glasses?

Oh yeah, I'm still wearing them. But they feel different, from what I can tell. Maybe they transformed as well?

Weird things suddenly begin popping up in my vision, like a- What the hell, a HP bar? SP?! What even is an "EXE DRIVE GAUGE"?!

"Whoa whoa, calm down there, buddy."

"Is this a goddamn video game?!" I scream loudly, catching the wolf's attention. Dammit.

"I'm pretty sure you already know what the HP bar means." Ms. Belt stated, to which I nod. "Alright, well the SP bar over there, right below the HP bar, is used for when you use special attacks."

So like a mana bar.

"Yeah, I guess you can say that! And the EXE Drive Gauge is for EXE Drives, attacks that are far more powerful than your regular SP Attacks. You build it up as you hit enemies, and more hits fill up the gauge more!"

This is just… some sort of RPG, right?! An augmented reality RPG or something!

"No, but I guess you can say that it works like one. Oh, want me to show you your stats?"

The wolf starts running in my direction.

Crap crap crap.

"Uh, just give me a "too long; didn't read" version!" I shout, as I start running, as well.

How am I supposed to fight this thing…?!

"Uh, your stats are pretty average across the board, Akagi."

Gee, thanks.

"Wait, I'm not finished yet! Your AGI and MOV are pretty high, and your LUK, as well."

Stop speaking in those weird acronyms, goddammit!

"Agility, movement, and luck, Aka."

Yeah, I know what they mean, thanks!

Judging from what she said though, I guess that means I sorta fall under the "Fragile Speedster" archetype?

But gee, just because my speed stats are high doesn't mean I can run from this monster all day!

If I throw an attack now, the wolf wouldn't see it coming!

I immediately stop running, before turning around.

"ORA!" I throw a quick punch with my right fist, directly at the wolf's face, before following it up with my left. "ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!" I throw an attack rush, unleashing a barrage of punches at the wolf. Once I'm done, I jump up and kick its head from above, causing it to lose balance and fall over.

I land on the ground, before starting to walk backwards. I think my attacks should leave it stunned for a while… But I don't know what I'm going to do when it recovers. I can't just keep punching it.

"Time to use the Disc Driver, Akagi!" Ms. Belt told me.

The what now?

"That device on your arm, of course!" Ms. Belt answered my question. "Look at your right hip – There should be a box holstered in there."

My right hip?

Oh yeah, there's this case thing holstered at my right hip, hanging from the belt's straps. I open it, seeing four discs-like things inside.

I'm supposed to use these? …Which one, though?

"Just pick any, Akagi."

Uh, fine.

I grab the second one with my fingers, before closing the case again.

It's pretty small, smaller than your average discs, so more like those pocket CDs. It's colored blue, with some white and letters that say "SNOW HALATION" written on it. At the bottom is what I think a silhouetted picture of a group of singers, but I'm not really sure.

"Insert it into the Disc Driver."

Alright.

I press one of the buttons on the side of the device, causing the back part to pop out – not unlike a DVD player waiting for a disc to be put in. I place the disc there.

 **DISC SET**

I push the compartment back in, causing the symbol on the top to glow a light blue.

 **ICE: SNOW HALATION**

The lines on my gauntlet-armor things suddenly gain the same light blue color.

"Well, I'll keep this simple. These discs buff your attacks with elemental damage." Ms. Belt explains.

"Alright, so this one's ice, right?" I mean, its name is _Snow_ Halation.

"Yep, you guessed it."

Some sort of cold mist seems to be coming out from my gauntlets, maybe because I can deal ice damage now, or whatever.

The wolf seems to be recovering, getting up and staring at me.

Oh boy.

I ready myself, getting into a fighting st-

The wolf lunges at me, before I was even ready. It just rams me with its head, causing me to fall down. Before I could even get up, the wolf has already used its massive claws to send me flying and knock me further away.

Damn it.

That hurt.

"Can I fire ice blasts or something with these, Ms. Belt?" I get up slowly, trying to regain my balance.

"Unfortunately, no. They only enhance your close-range attacks." Ms. Belt answers.

Darn it.

How the hell am I supposed to beat this thing? Ice punches aren't gonna do anything if I can't even land a hit. I guess I only got lucky earlier.

Damn it, I have rewatched and reread Joey Jojo's Wacky Trip Part 2: Battle Tendency at least 10 times by now. The main character's battle strategy must have rubbed off on me somehow, I just need to think outside the box!

Alright, so I'm in a park. There's some trees. And fallen leaves around me.

…

Wait…

"I can still freeze things with this, though, right?" I ask again.

"Yes, though the time it needs to freeze an object depends on the size."

Alright, good enough.

I wasn't planning to freeze the wolf, anyway.

If I can't fire ice blasts, then I'll just have to make my own!

I grab one of the fallen leaves scattered around me, crumpling it up into something resembling a ball.

"What are you planning, Akagi?"

Something really dumb.

With the crumpled ball-leaf in my hand, I use Snow Halation to freeze it, turning it into, well, an ice ball.

"You said I had a high luck stat, right?" I ask Ms. Belt, just making sure.

"Yeah, why?"

"Well I really, really suck at aiming, so I'm just gonna go rely on my luck for this one."

I aim at the wolf, ready to-

Wait a minute it's not even paying attention to me anymore.

It's heading to…

Compa?!

She's recovering from the wave, and is trying to get up…

…

Dammit, I'll just have to bet it all on this throw!

If my luck stat is really that high, then I will be able to save my ass and Compa somehow!

I put the ice ball on my left hand, aiming at the wolf. Once I've got a good aim, I flick it towards the wolf's direction with my right one.

The ball hits the wolf straight in the eye, disorienting it a bit.

Bullseye!

Haha, get it, bulls-

The wolf turns its attention to me, before breaking into a sprint to my direction.

Ah, dammit!

I quickly grab a bunch of leaves, crumpling them up half-assedly before freezing them.

As the wolf gets closer, I throw the ice balls on the ground in front of me, before walking back a bit.

"Slip and slide on these, asshole!" I shout.

Things go according to my plan, as the wolf slips and loses its balance after running over them. It falls over, not far from me.

I did it!

"You should be able to finish it off now, Akagi! Press the second button the Disc Driver to initiate a Decisive Strike."

Alright, thanks, Ms. Belt.

I press the other button on the Disc Driver.

 **ICE: SNOW HALATION – DECISIVE STRIKE**

My hands glow with light blue energy. I walk towards the fallen wolf, with my fists ready.

Ready to punch, I mean.

"DORARARARARARARARARARARARARA!" I unleash another barrage of punches on the wolf, this time faster than before. "DO-RA!" I end my attack rush with a punch, coming from my right hand, straight to the wolf's head.

And with that, the wolf erupts into an explosion of fire and small, black dots.

The fire and smoke from the explosion disappears, and I see the kid lying on the ground where the wolf was. He appears to be unscathed, so I guess that's good.

It's finally over, huh…?

"Not yet, Aka. Look."

The black dots on the sky form together, forming a humanoid monster thing, landing not far from me.

It looks at me, and assumes a fighting stance.

"Give me a break…"

* * *

 **Wow, sorry this one took too long! I was like, almost halfway writing this, but my laptop decided to commit suicide or something so I lost the data. Luckily I had a backup on my PC, but I still had to rewrite mostly everything.**

 **Sooo yeah.**

 **I hope you enjoyed reading this! Please leave a review, and have a nice whee!**

 **(Oh, I'll also send review replies to each of you personally now, as to not clutter up the story. Thanks to those who have reviewed!)**


	3. Dream

The black dots on the sky form together, forming a humanoid monster thing, landing not far from me. It looks like… yeah, a humanoid version of the giant wolf. Its head resemble that of the wolf's, and on its arms are two, giant gauntlet claw things…

It looks at me, and assumes a fighting stance.

"Give me a break…"

Screw it, I'll just punch it to death again!

I press the finisher button on the Disc Driver, intending to do another Decisive Strike.

 **ERROR**

…

"Uh, Ms. Belt…" I slowly walk backwards, as the monster slowly moves towards me.

"You can't just spam the finishers, Akagi! That's not how it works!" Ms. Belt tells me. "The Disc will need time to recharge after you initiate a Decisive Strike with it. Take it out and use another one!"

"Jeez, should've told me that sooner!" The monster swings its arms at me, and I put up my arms in an attempt to block them. The force still sends me crashing to the ground, though.

It then thrusts its claws down, trying to stab me, but luckily I manage to roll to the side and avoid it.

"Switching Discs it is, then!" I eject Snow Halation from the Driver, putting it back in the box before pulling out a new one at random. This time, it's a mostly red and black disc, with "PSYCHIC FIRE" written on it in fancy font. I'm guessing that's the name… Oh, the same silhouette is also present at the bottom.

Judging by the name, I bet this is going to buff me with fire powers.

I place the disc on the compartment, before pushing it back in.

 **DISC SET**

 **BLAZE: PSYCHIC FIRE**

The lines on my gauntlets gain an orange-ish red color.

Fire-powered punches, eh? Neat.

Seeing the monster get closer, I throw my left fist directly at its chest.

"ORA!"

…

The monster just… stands there. It's unfazed.

It looks at me in a mocking sort of way, before knocking me backwards with the back of its weapon.

"Ms. Belt, what the hell?!" I shout, frustrated that the attack didn't work.

"It's called _Psychic_ Fire, Akagi." Ms. Belt flatly explains. "It's a long-ranged type."

Oh.

Right, because the word Psychic _totally_ signifies that it's a long-range type!

"Yeah, try to be less obvious next time!" I remarked, looking at my hands. A small fireball forms in my right hand, spinning around it. "Neat."

I make a motion with my hand, and the fireball flies in the direction of the monster, hitting it right in the head and causing it to visibly flinch.

Man, I feel like Magician's Red or something.

Three fireballs form around my hand this time, and I fire them at the monster. It recovers, and blocks them all with its claws.

Huh, guess I spoke too soon.

Alright, looks like I have to aim for the head…

The monster runs, swinging its claws wildly at me. I run backwards, firing more fireballs at it, to no effect.

I dash to the side, and the monster runs past me. Taking this chance, I shoot all three fireballs from my right hand at it. The fireballs detonate on impact with the monster's back, creating tiny explosions.

It turns around and looks at me, and for some reason I have a feeling that it's angry.

Looks like my fireballs did little to no damage, too…

Monster too op pls nerf.

…

Dammit, I'll just resort to my patented strategy of spamming finishers!

If this can save my ass in video games then it can save my ass in real life too, right…?

I press a button on my Driver, striking a fighting stance.

 **BLAZE: PSYCHIC FIRE – DECISIVE STRIKE**

The fireballs spin around and merge with my gauntlets, giving off the appearance that they're engulfed in fire.

I swing my right arm, and a pillar of flames erupt from the ground, directly hitting the monster. I then swing my left, causing another pillar of flames to erupt near it, but the monster dashes back and dodges.

It strikes a fighting stance, and its right claw starts glowing.

"Here comes the special attack, Aka!" Ms. Belt warns.

"And thank you for that very helpful observation, Ms. Belt!"

I should be able to counter it with mine, hopefully. My hands are still ablaze, so Psychic Fire still has some charges left.

The monster swings its claws, firing energy waves in my direction. I raise my arm, creating another flame pillar between me and the energy waves.

The monster's attack collides with mine, creating a large explosion that knocks me flying back.

Dammit…

I don't ever want to do this again.

I get up, just as the smoke starts to clear. My hands are back to normal, so I guess I drained all of Psychic Fire's energy.

The smoke fully clears, and the monster is… not where I expected it to be.

Where did it go?

"I'm not picking up any signals nearby…" Ms. Belt says. "I think it's safe to say that it fled."

Wow, thank god.

I feel relieved.

I eject Psychic Fire from the Driver, and return it to the disc case.

"So, uh… How do I detransform?"

The Disc Driver detaches, splitting into three parts mid-air before attaching themselves to the belt. My body glows, and I feel the same sensation from before – except I transform back to my regular self this time.

Wow.

This whole thing still seems unreal.

"You're welcome." Ms. Belt gleefully says. "Pretty good for your first time fighting, Aka."

T-thanks… I guess?

…

Ah, right, Compa! I hope she's alright… I should return to her.

That wolf monster led us pretty far away from the park's entrance… I hope I can find my way back.

* * *

…

Okay, I did it.

I think I see Compa in the distance. She's holding the boy in her arms, I'm pretty sure.

I wave at her, and she seems to have noticed, waving back with a smile while calling out my name.

…

Her smile suddenly turns to an expression of pure horror. Okay, I might be exaggerating, but-

"Watch out, Akagi!" She shouts at me, while pointing at the sky.

Eh?

"Watchoutwatchoutwatchout!"

I hear a voice coming from above me.

I look up, and-

Something crashes on me, hard, causing me to fall to the ground.

* * *

My eyes open, and I try to recall what just happened.

I look around.

I'm in some sort of… empty room? The floors are tiled and have this checkerboard motif. Oh yeah, I'm sitting on a chair, too.

Where the hell am I?

No, wait…

Am I dead?!

I'm dead, aren't I?!

I don't know why, but I feel like I know what's going to happen next…!

After this a beautiful goddess will reveal herself in front of me, and give me the option to reincarnate in an alternate, fantasy world or go straight to heaven!

But it's boring in heaven since it's just old people there, so I pick the reincarnation choice, and will end up regretting it all my life!

"What are you…" I hear a female voice. "What are you even going on about, Akagi?"

I feel arms wrap around me from behind, and I tense up, startled.

"Hehe, same reaction, huh?"

The hug stops, as someone walks into my view.

It's a girl, not that I expected anything otherwise. She has mid-length, grayish rose-colored hair, tied into twintails laid on her shoulders. She's wearing a lab coat sorta thing that seems a little too big for her. The lab coat is unbuttoned, showing what I think is part of a black dress underneath. She's wearing glasses, too.

Is this the goddess that's supposed to greet me?

…

I guess expectations will always betray you in the end, huh.

"Hey, that's rude!" The girl yelled. "Are you saying that I'm not a good-looking person?!"

No, she has me all wrong. She's cute, but…

I just expected something more, you know?

"Well, then you need to lower your expectations a bit, mister!" She crosses her arms, pouting.

Who is she, anyway?

How is she reading my mind like it's a goddamn manga?

Where am I-

"Are you sure you don't remember?"

Dammit, my memories are hazy, it's like I'm dreaming or something…

…Wait, she can read my mind, right?

…

It can't be…

"Ms. Belt?" I guess, I can't think of anyone else.

She claps her hands together, smiling. "I knew you'd figure it out eventually, Aka!"

Yeah, that's her alright.

Still, I thought she was just a talking belt…

"Aaaanyway," She starts, "Good job on driving off the Virizer! Like I said before, not bad for your first time. I wouldn't recommend doing that finisher spam often, though…"

…

Okay, I remember it all now.

I still think spamming finishers is a legitimate strategy, though.

"Virizer…?" I ask. I'm assuming that's the name of the monster?

"And you're right." Ms. Belt answers me, adjusting her red-framed glasses with her right hand. "We… We called them the Virizer, and they seem to have taken a liking to that name."

Huh.

Who's this "we"?

"Well, I'm gonna save the history lesson for later, Aka, because we don't have much time left." Ms. Belt states. "But I'll tell you the basics, because it's kinda important. Probably."

Very convincing.

"Okay, so you know already that the Virizer virus infect humans." Ms. Belt explains. "The symptoms of initial infections are… very not noticeable, not unlike that of the common cold. Later stages of infection will cause the host to experience severe headaches, though."

She continues, "Once the virus has multiplied enough inside the host's body, it will emerge in the form of a giant monster."

"So that's what happened to the boy?"

"Precisely. This form is their pre-mature state, and is still physically linked to their host. Given enough time to mature fully, the host will be eventually overtaken and disappear, merging completely with the Virizer and completing its maturing process."

Man, this is a lot to take in.

"But when I defeated the giant wolf, it… uh, evolved to that humanoid thing, what's up with that?" I ask.

"Their pre-mature state is like a "pupa"… Once it breaks after sustaining enough damage, the weak, still-growing Virizer inside it will be forced to come out and fight." Ms. Belt explains. "This doesn't mean that the host is safe, however – The Virizer will always come back and try to overtake its host unless we kill it."

That's a dirty strategy.

But I guess the end justifies the means. Or something like that.

"So that kid… He's basically being targeted, because I couldn't kill the monster?"

"Yeah, but don't worry! It will take quite a while until it recovers… Hopefully."

Right, that totally puts me at ease. _Totally._

"Okay, but…" How should I say this? "Why do _I_ have to do this?"

"Well, you see… The Virizers are-" Ms. Belt stops, and claps her hands together. "Woops, time's up! Wakey-wakey, Aka!"

Huh?

Wait, what?

Ms. Belt disappears. Like, she just suddenly fades away.

I suddenly fall off my chair, and I notice that the floors are gone too-

Damn it, why do I have to experience this falling thing again?!

* * *

I open my eyes and jolt right up.

Where the hell am I _now_?

Okay, I'm sitting on a bed… The room is mostly white, and-

…Is this a hospital room?

"Oh, you're awake! You've been out cold for hours!"

Compa is sitting beside my bed.

"Ah… Hey, Compa." I weakly greet her. "What happened?"

"It's a looong story…" Compa half-answers my question. "And it's late, so you should get some more rest. Don't worry, I'll get her to properly apologize to you too tomorrow!"

"Uh… Who?"

"You'll see!" Compa smiles, getting up. She turns off the lights for me, before walking to the door. "Have a nice dream, Gi-Gi!"

And with that, she leaves.

…Was that supposed to be a nickname?

What the hell kind of nickname is Gi-Gi?!

Also I already had a dream, though I wouldn't call that nice…

I get off the bed, not feeling like sleeping again.

What the hell do I do on hospitals, though?

Dammit, I want to go home…

" _Hey, Aka, wanna see something cool?"_

Huh?

Okay, I guess.

Might as well humor her for now. Not like I have anything better to do.

" _Sweet. Go to the elevator. The hospital should be pretty quiet at this time."_

Are you implying I know where the elevator is?

" _No worries, I'll always be here to guide you in times of need!_ _"_

* * *

…

Okay…

"I'm in the elevator, now what?"

The belt I'm wearing shines some sort of light on the elevator's buttons, and the doors suddenly close on their own.

The elevator starts going down.

"W-where are we going?"

"Just wait and see."

Eventually, the elevator stops, and the doors open.

I step out.

…Where is this?

The basement?

It's like a large, long hallway, with many doors on each side.

This is kinda creepy.

"Third door from the right, Akagi."

O-okay.

I walk up to the third door on the right side.

It's blocked by a bunch of boxes laid on top of a…

What are these things called again?

Ah, yeah, hand trucks. Those cart-like things you use to move heavy things.

"Push it away." Ms. Belt tells me.

Alright.

I push the boxes away. A bit heavy, even with the hand truck.

I look at the door. It looks old and aging, with a big sticker of a red stop sign on it. Kinda suspicious.

Am I… supposed to go in there?

Ms. Belt suddenly glows, and shines her light on the door, just like in the elevator. The door suddenly makes an unlocking noise, and creaks open.

A surprisingly clean stairway was behind the door. I enter, and start walking down the stairs.

…

…This reminds me, an online friend of mine once told me about how there was a haunted building with a "stairway to hell" in it near his house. Apparently it seems that the stairs go on and on forever, and once you reach a certain point you start seeing flames right before you die…

Ah, but this can't be anything like that, right? I mean, the walls and these stairs are clean white, just like a hospital room…

Wait, dammit, I'm pretty sure my friend said that the haunted building was a hospi-

"Aaand you can stop there, Akagi." Ms. Belt breaks my line of thought. "We're here."

What… the hell?

The stairway led me to a… lounge of some sort? Like a living room. There's a small table, a bunch of multicolored couches, a mid-sized TV, and a small fridge besides it. The fridge is locked off, though, wrapped in chains bound by a large lock.

I-I wonder what's inside it…

Anyway, the walls and floor are pretty clean, unlike the door that leads to this room.

"This will be our base of operations, Akagi." Ms. Belt explains. "Oh yeah, can you place me on that?"

What do you mean that-

Something pokes at my feet.

I look down.

It's…

It's that slime dog thing Ms. Belt showed me a picture of before. Except it's small, blue, and… has wheels?

"Don't worry, it's not the real thing." Ms. Belt tells me. "It's like a toy."

There's a compartment on its back that I think I can place Ms. Belt on.

I grab Ms. Belt, and the belt straps fades off. I place it- err, her, on the compartment, and the slime car dog toy makes a honking noise.

"Nice, thanks." Ms. Belt says happily. "Like I said before, this will be our base of operations, so try to get yourself comfortable. I'm gonna go do some maintenance checks, so see you a bit later!"

With that, she drives off to another room through a pet door.

Amazing.

I sit down on the red couch, letting out a big sigh.

I can't deny it any longer, right? All of this… All of this is real.

The… The buildings, the people, the monsters, the belt…

And this "other world"…

Man, and to think the day started off pretty normal…

It's like I'm the protagonist of some badly written piece of fiction within the "isekai" genre.

I let out another sigh, resting my back against the couch.

...

Something on the table catches my eye.

It's… a red and grey, square-shaped thing. Upon closer inspection, it really resembles a processor chip, but a bit bigger. There's a handle stretching down located on the bottom. It's shaped like those knuckle handles, but without the individual holes for each finger. A trigger is present in the inner part of the handle, and at the side of the chip is some sort of switch.

What the hell is this…?

For some reason, I'm compelled to touch it.

I know I shouldn't just touch things laying around, but…

If it's just left in a table like this, it shouldn't be dangerous, right?

Curiosity gets the better of me, and I touch the thing with my hand.

 _*BZZT*_

A splitting headache suddenly overcomes me, and I recoil from the pain, holding my head.

...

The pain disappears a few moments later.

Thank God it didn't last long.

I'm feeling a bit sleepy now though, for some reason…

Well, whatever happened to me in the park must've tired me out, r-right? I should go do as Compa says and take a break.

I lie down on the couch, closing my eyes.

* * *

 _..._

 _Okay, it's almost done._

 _The Overclock System._

 _I just need to adjust the energy output a bit, and do a few more tests, then we can finally mass-produce this…_

 _Our hard work will finally pay off._

 _The world will finally be free of this plague, and the Goddess will not have to strain herself so much anymore._

 _Just… Just a bit more time._

 _If my eyes have mouths they'd probably scream in agony, but luckily they don't._

 _I'll stay up for another ho-_

 _I feel arms wrap around me from behind, and I stop typing._

 _I can see the color of her hair from this angle._

" _I told you to stop doing this, didn't I? Sheesh."_

" _You like it though, right?" She lets out a small laugh, and I can't help but smile._

" _Well, I can't deny that."_

" _So, how's the progress?"_

" _Pretty good so far. Just need to adjust a few little things, then we can proceed to testings."_

" _That's great. Let me take over, you should get some rest."_

 _I want to refuse, but I'm not a masochist and damn I'd kill a cat for an entire day's worth of sleep._

" _You're right, I should probably do that. Thanks."_

 _I get up, and she quickly takes my seat, glancing over the text on the screen before continuing my work. I smile, and walk off to another room._

 _Just a little bit more._

* * *

 **MEMORY SEQUENCE 01: COMPLETE**

* * *

 **Well I sure took my time with this chapter! I'll be a bit busy for the next few weeks, so uh, the wait might get longer.**

 **And also, go check out StarKnight07's fic! It has** _ **some**_ **grammar errors and seems like a pretty generic SI fic at first, but there's some interesting lore going on and honestly it's pretty unique. Go give him constructive criticism!**

 **I didn't get paid for this, I swear.**

 **Please leave a review, and have a nice wheeeeeeeee!**

* * *

 **-Next time, on Over;Clock-**

"It's back, huh…?"

"We can't let it go this time, Akagi!"

"Choujigen… Henshin!"

 **(TL Note: You probably know this already but Choujigen = Hyperdimension, so in this context you can translate it to "Hyperdimensional Transformation" or something.)**


	4. Chance

An intense vibrating on my stomach causes me to jolt right up and look around in panic.

Ms. Belt, who I think was on my stomach, drops to the couch.

"Wakey-wakey! I know you're tired and all, Akagi, but this is no time to be slacking around, you know!"

Ms. Belt lectures me like a mother lecturing her son who overslept.

"Okay, okay, fine, I get it." I yawn, still feeling a bit tired.

Dammit, I was having a nice dream too…

I think?

I don't really remember what the dream was about.

Oh well, things like this happen all the time, so I shouldn't really worry about it.

The only thing I should worry about is finding a way to go back home.

My parents probably still aren't home yet, since they're away on some business trip that will take a while, but I know they'll be worried sick once they come back.

Not to mention I have no way of answering their calls or texts.

Parents aside, I wouldn't be able to check on my online games too…

Ah, right, my online friends are gonna be worried as well-

I shake my head. Thinking about these kinds of things is not going to help me, it'll just give me even more stress.

I'll just have to think about the present for now.

I sigh, grabbing Ms. Belt while getting up. With many things on my mind, I start walking towards the elevator.

How the hell did I get roped into this mess again…?

Viruses, monsters, another world…

Oh yeah, and the transforming stuff.

It's like something straight out of a light novel, or a video game.

Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy both, but not when I feel like I'm the main character.

…

The elevator door opens, and I step out.

" _You should go back to your room, Compa might get worried."_

Oh, right, Compa.

Just when I was wondering what to do next…

I stretch my body for a bit while walking to my room, still feeling tired.

The dream I had earlier…

I don't know why, but something feels weird. I can't get it out of my mind.

I can't remember anything when I try to, though.

Agh.

M-maybe the shock after experiencing all those things that happened to me just in the span of 24 hours is making me go nuts…

Uh, anyway, gotta focus.

My room number was 4-13, I think. Pretty sure I hit the button for the fourth floor, so it should be around here somewhere.

I turn left at the corridor, and a door labeled "4-13" stands there just 3 rooms away.

There it is. That didn't take as long as I expected.

And to my surprise, someone is standing in front of the door, knocking on it a few times. She looks a bit frustrated.

Of course no one is gonna answer her.

What the hell are you doing, Compa?

My footsteps must have alerted her, because she suddenly turned her head in my direction, looking at me.

Ah, seems like I was spotted.

"H-hey." I wave my hand at her as a form of greeting.

And realization only dawned on me a few milliseconds later.

What if waving your hand is seen as some sort of offensive gesture in this world-

"Ah, there you are!" Compa's expression lights up. "Where have you been, Gi-Gi? I looked all around for you!"

"I, uh…" I panic a bit inside, trying to think up of an excuse. "…went to the bathroom?"

Perfect, good job, me! I can just feel my communication and negotiation skill levels raising. If I keep this up, I can just talk my way out of the final boss!

Some sort of happy, cheerful music suddenly plays, coming from Compa.

"Oh, sorry, that's mine!" Compa opens her purse, pulling out her phone from it to answer the call. She places her phone near her ear, and starts speaking, "Hello? Yessy, Compa here… Oh, what's up, Iffy?"

What the hell kind of name is Iffy.

Then again, she does call me "Gi-Gi", so... Must be another one of her dumb nicknames, I bet.

I realize that I'm eavesdropping and I know for sure that eavesdropping isn't polite, no matter how tempting it is, so I distance myself away a bit from her.

I hope the call wouldn't take long.

…Then again, this reminds me of something.

Did I bring my phone with me?

Probably not, but…

I reach my hand into my pants' right pocket, finding something hard.

…Not _that_ , you pervert. Get your mind out of the gutter.

I pull the thing out, and to my relief, it _is_ my black-colored smartphone, in the comfort of its red casing. Thank god.

I turn it on, and naturally I focus on the battery first.

89%.

That should be enough, but then that leaves me with one problem.

I'm in another world, so that means my phone wouldn't be able to access the internet or call for help and is virtually useless.

Goddammit.

I tap the BotherBuddy icon, anyway. I can't use it to chat with my friends, but at least I can read messages sent before I arrived to this hellhole.

A pop-up box with the words " _CONNECTING…"_ appear to block my screen.

Yeah, just gonna wait until it fails and gives up-

 _CONNECTED._

I feel like spitting my drink out, but unfortunately I'm not drinking anything.

What is this I don't even-

I guess some divine force out there heard my heartfelt pleas and blessed my phone with magic internet or something, I dunno.

But hey, it works, and that's all that matters right now.

Gotta let my buddies know about my current predicament.

 _ **-OverDrive [OD] started memo "Send Help" on board "Weeaboo Council"-  
-OverDrive [OD] added **__**melodicTorrent [MT]**_ _ **to memo-  
-Overdrive [OD] added **__**napoleonsKickboxer [NK]**_ _ **to memo-  
OD: Test.  
OD: Can you guys see this or am I stuck talking to myself….  
MT: yo!  
NK: sup  
OD: Don't you "sup" me.  
OD: SEND HELP  
MT: ?  
NK: whats wrong  
NK: did you get trapped in a bad fanfiction  
OD: Shit nevermind we'll continue this later!**_

Compa finished talking, so I hurry up and pocket my phone.

"Oh? He wasn't with you, Aka?"

Compa's question came out of nowhere.

"Who?" I ask back, having no idea what she's talking about.

…And then the realization hit me.

Memories of yesterday came back rushing into my head.

"…You mean that boy from before?"

Compa nods, looking worried. I wonder what happened.

* * *

Long story short, apparently he ran off somewhere while no one was looking, and now she has no idea where he is.

Since that's the case…

Now we're at the park again, looking for him together.

"A missing patient, huh…" I think out loud. "Damn, can't the hospital get some better security?"

"The hospital is a bit understaffed, so it's hard to keep an eye out on everyone…" Compa sighs.

"Understaffed?"

Compa nods. "Mmhm, the number of patients have been increasing lately thanks to the recent breakout. You have seen it yourself, right?"

"So I'm guessing the monsters like from yesterday are also a part of that?"

"Yeppers." Compa nods, again. "We're understaffed on that front too…"

A scream rings out from the distance.

"Ah… This is exactly why we don't allow our patients to go outside! You stay here, Gi-Gi!"

Dammit, that nickname again-!

Compa runs off, heading to the direction of the scream.

In the distance I see the humanoid wolf monster from yesterday, looming over the boy that Compa was looking for.

"C-can she handle that by herself…?"

"Of course not, go help her out!" Ms. Belt barks at me.

"…Yeah, you're right. I should do that."

With no other choice left, I reluctantly run after her.

I can't just sit idly by, after all…

"Standin **g** around **do** ing nothing won't get me anywhere!"

"Time to FusionRise, Akagi!" Ms. Belt chimes in.

"The hell is a Fusion Rise?!" I yell back, confused at the random new term.

But whatever, no time to think about things like that.

For now…

I press the red switch on Ms. Belt, causing the "armored" part of the belt to fly off, before forming the shield-like Disk Driver on my left arm. With that done, I press the power button, starting some sort of looping music.

"Henshin!"

Crossing my arms in front of me, I then press the red button once again.

A bright light covers me as I run, followed by an energy ring and armor pieces materializing around me. As soon as the light vanishes, the armor pieces attach themselves onto me.

I jump, intending to drop-kick the monster and push it away from Compa like some sort of Sunday morning superhero.

Wait, what-

Mid-air, the HUD starts to pop up one by one.

Ah, right.

I forgot about the HUD.

Distracted by it, I fumble and mess up my jump, but I still manage to land on the monster, knocking it over along with myself.

I lie on the ground, contemplating what just happened.

That hurt, by the way.

" _Oi, get up! You still have a Virizer to fight!"_

R-right!

I clumsily stand up, while pulling out Snow Halation from the case hanging on my right hip.

"Take him and go, leave this to me!" I yell at Compa.

She nods, grabbing the boy and running off.

…I said something cool like that, but I doubt I can live up to my own words.

Oh well.

I insert Snow Halation into the Disc Driver, causing the symbol and the blank lines on my armor to glow light blue.

 **DISC SET – ICE: SNOW HALATION**

I strike a battle stance, clenching my fists.

"Let's see how you'll like this one, then!"

All fired up, I tauntingly smirk at the Virizer.

…

It promptly ignores me, instead choosing to chase after Compa.

"Goddammit, stop right there!"

I chase after it, but my very presence is once again ignored.

The Virizer leaps, suddenly covering a huge distance and landing in front of Compa who's holding the boy with her hand.

Shit-!

It smacks Compa away, not even giving her a time to react.

It then grabs the boy, lifting him up and-

…

I stop dead in my tracks after witnessing what just happened.

The boy hangs limp, with the monster's claws piercing through his body.

He then turns into particles of light, absorbed into the Virizer's body.

"Did… Did it just-"

I stutter, trying to think of the right words.

" _Tch… He got absorbed."_

The Virizer roars, seemingly powered up after absorbing its host.

It takes a step back and leaps once again, this time in my direction.

Still dazed and with no energy left, I weakly put up my arms in front of me in a pathetic attempt to guard and close my eyes.

…But the pain, the suffering doesn't come.

Instead, I hear sounds of a weapon clashing against something.

I open my eyes.

A woman is in front of me, blocking the Virizer's attack with her weapon – A lance. Her long, green hair, - tied into a ponytail – flows gracefully in the air. Her back, and many other parts of her body, are exposed thanks to the white revealing body suit that she's wearing.

Who is this angel, this goddess, this beauty before me?

"What are you doing?! If you aren't going to fight, hurry up and get out of here!"

Her stern scolding snaps me back to reality.

She's right, though. I don't even have the time to admire her. I'll think about the hard stuff later, there's only one thing I can do for now…!

I clench my fist, charging Snow Halation's power before stepping to the side – and then mustering all the power I could to punch the monster right in the chest, sending it flying back.

"Sorry about that. I don't know who you are, but let's work together."

She smirks. "I could say the same to you."

And with that brief exchange, we charge at the Virizer together.

* * *

Overwhelmed by our surprisingly coordinated attacks, the Virizer turns around and attempts to run.

"Not so fast!" The woman raises her hand, like in that one anime about card games when someone's about to activate their trap card. "Sylhet Spear!"

A giant spear emerges from a green magic circle besides her, which she launches at the fleeing monster. It misses, but lands right in front of it, blocking its path.

"My turn now!"

I press a button on my Disc Driver, activating a finisher.

 **ICE: SNOW HALATION – DECISIVE STRIKE**

Using all the energy focused in my right fist, I punch the Virizer hard against the woman's spear.

It falls limp, and drops down.

" _It's_ _not too late just yet, but something's coming. Prepare yourself."_

What do you mea-

The instant I question that, the Virizer gets up and knocks me down. With its claws surrounded by fragments of light, – data or something, I think? – It slashes at the air.

The attack opens a hole in the sky. It sticks it claws in and pulls, causing it to grow bigger. Seemingly without a second thought, the monster jumps in.

" _Well, off to your world it goes. Chase after it, lest it causes a panic."_

That… that "portal" leads to my world?

This might be my chance to come back, then.

The green-haired woman suddenly dashes past me, flying straight into the hole in the sky.

"Alright, I'm going in."

" _Wait, check out the thing on your left hip."_

Hm?

I do what she says, and-

It's some sort of holder, much like the one on my right that stores discs.

"What's this one for?"

I pull out the thing sticking out from it.

It resembles a processor chip, a bit bigger and colored light purple and white, with an odd handle on the bottom.

This is… almost exactly like the thing I found yesterday, just not red.

"Now what?"

" _Use that with your belt to Power Up!"_

O-okay?

Sounds interesting.

I press the trigger on the handle, causing it to light up.

 **HYPER DIMENSION CORE**

An overly excited, cute female voice yells that out right after I press the button.

Okay, now I just have to insert this in that slot…

But simply putting it in wouldn't be fun.

No, no.

I gotta make it cool.

I take a deep breath, and strike a pose that I think looks cool.

"Choujigen Henshin!"

* * *

 **A/N: Kept you waiting huh?**

 **This was actually supposed to be part of a longer chapter but I decided to split it into two because it would take me five years and I don't really wanna keep people waiting.**

 **I have no excuses.**

 **Anyway, as usual, please leave a review and have a nice wheeee~!**


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